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Archive for the ‘Short Fiction’ Category

Blown Away

Keir injects a little magic into Science Day at Great America. Enjoy! 

“Isn’t this cool?” Barry bubbled, dancing backward in front of Kier. They were heading to the Gold Striker Roller Coaster, the first stop on their quest.

Kier could only nod, too busy inventorying the stores and eateries and games on either side of them he wanted to check out later.

Around them, Great America hummed, a giant machine waiting to be activated. And it was just for them! He still couldn’t believe he was really there for the Physics-Science-Math day again. They had already picked up accelerometers to perform their tests while riding the coaster.

“I love that we get to ride roller coasters all day,” Barry said, excitement making his voice squeak.

“For science!” Kier shouted, punching the air with his fist.

“Science can be so awesome!”

(more…)

Hornets

We wondered what James and Diana were like before Bryce came along and drove them apart.
Here’s just one of their adventures. Enjoy!

“Hurry up, Jimmy B! We don’t want your folks or your brothers to catch us with these fireworks! Your ma’ll skin both of us!” Diana hissed as she passed into the woods bordering the picnic area.

“I’m coming, princess,” Jimmy said, catching up with her. “I thought I saw someone.”

The girl shrugged. “Probably just Rory. He’s always following us.”

(more…)

Coats, Hats, Scarves, And Gloves

Even after he managed to drive James and Diana apart,
Bryce proves how possessive he is of Diana. Enjoy!

“What am I supposed to do with this cowboy hat?” Jimmy Cavanaugh asked his little brother, holding up the battered straw hat.

Making a face at Jimmy, Rory said, “Personally, I’d throw it away, but maybe some kid will love it.” He looked around at the mostly sorted sacks and bags, piled full of cold weather clothing that the high schoolers had donated. “Toss it here. I have room for it in the top of this grocery bag.”

Jimmy tossed the orphan hat at Rory, but he misjudged the throw. The hat sailed over Rory’s head, landing in the hallway beyond him.

(more…)

The Cad

Evelyn mentions in Dreaming of Xeres that she and Cadwallader have a history of
antagonizing each other. We were curious how it all started. Now we know. Enjoy!

“The vendors room is just down the hallway,” the conference check-in clerk said, pointing to his left, “in the Fredericks Room.”

Evelyn thanked the man and began pushing her luggage cart past the easel sign reading, HypYesCon, Hypnotherapy Beyond No: Turning Skeptics into Clients.

Halfway to her goal, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

“Good morning, Dr. Adams. Nice to see you again.” Evelyn smiled at the older man jogging to catch up to her.

(more…)

Hacked

Ever wonder why Alex didn’t get a job working with computers since
he’s so good with them? We did too. Enjoy!

“It’s not fair,” Alex said, slamming his open palm on the desk.

“I looked at your exams and honestly,” said Carl, his Psychology TA, “you should have gotten a B for the course. What’d you do to piss off Dr. McMahon and get a D?”

Alex stood and began pacing the TA’s small office. Running a hand through his shoulder-length hair, he asked, “Did you look at my friends’ exams, too? (more…)

Bad Trip Into The Past

We were curious if Tessa was the first Xerian that Riley ever encountered. She wasn’t. When Jake was teaching him how to do regressions, he encountered his first Xerian without even knowing it. Enjoy!

“Bangers and mash?” Riley asked, lifting one eyebrow. “If Sully finds out, he’ll put you back on a diet. You know that.”

Looking at Riley sharply, Jake Adams said, “He did. He’s demanding I turn over a new leaf, but I’m having any of it this time. There’s only so much tofu and lettuce a man can take.” He raised one silver eyebrow at Riley. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

“No, I wouldn’t dare,” he said, laughing. “So, I take it you’re not getting many of Sully’s wondrous, gourmet meals lately?” Riley had partaken of enough of Jake’s partner’s lavish spreads and could sympathize with the man.

“Try none for the past three weeks.” Jake stabbed a sausage and took a bite. He closed his eyes and got a blissful expression on his face. “Aaaaah,” he sighed. Opening his eyes, he pinned Riley with a glance. “Enough about my culinary woes. What’s going on with that new client of you mentioned in your last email?”

Riley took a swig from his bottle of Drakes Hefeweizen before answering.

(more…)

Arrowhead

Ever wonder how Evelyn became Kier’s mother?
We thought you’d like to know how it happened. Enjoy!

Evelyn shifted nervously in her seat. The waiting room was chilly. It felt like any other anonymous doctor’s office. Not what she expected  adopting a child from China. Around her, the other adoptive couples chatted nervously with each other.

But she was all alone, except for Maeve. When Keith and I started this three years ago, at least we had each other through all the paperwork, financial probes, and home visits. But after he died…. She didn’t want think about losing him. It had been a year since the Oakland police showed up on her doorstep to tell her that he’d died on a building site he’d been overseeing in L.A. They said he’d had a heart attack, then fallen several stories off the new LeRoux Worldwide Center.

She felt a warm hand on her arm, reminding her of Maeve’s presence. She turned to find her friend/receptionist/mother figure  smiling at her.

“Brighten up, hon. Remember, you’re about to become a mother. You’re ready for this.”

(more…)

Hands Off

Riley is usually a level-headed guy.
But if you hurt someone he cares about, watch out.
You could end up like Aaron. Enjoy!

“Morning, Riles.”

“Rachel, you look like hell!” Riley said, rushing to take her backpack out of her hand. “What’s wrong with your arm? And where have you been? I called and called yesterday when you didn’t show up for school. Coach said you were sick.”

“Yeah, my dad would say that,” she said, twisting her locker combination in. She shrugged with one shoulder. “I just…tripped on the stairs. Sprained my elbow.”

When Riley placed a sympathetic hand on her good arm, she winced. He looked into her face sharply.

“Bullshit. I know you too well. You could run up and down those stairs blindfolded and never have a problem. What really happened?”

(more…)

One Thing Leads To Another

Alex makes a new friend at a conspiracy convention and sparks fly.
Keep an eye on the guy in the chair, you just might see him again. Soon. Enjoy!

The presenter pointed to several statistics on the overhead slide before turning back toward the audience. Ninety-eight pairs of eyes followed his pointer.

“As you can see in this illustration, the government has been reading all of our mail for over a hundred years. We’ve just made it easier for them in the digital age. Now they have computers to sort through all of our exchanges. Privacy has always been an illusion. They are just more blatant about it nowadays.

“That’s all I have. Any questions from the audience about the history of government surveillance?”

Alex considered the issues the presenter brought up. I agree with some of his points, but this guy is whackadoodle. Does he really think the US government used to steam open letters like someone’s nosy spinster aunt? The gossip from someplace like that would have been impossible to rein in. Let alone keep its existence a secret.

(more…)

Maybe the Glass Is Half Full

We wondered how James ended up in San Francisco.
Turns out his older brother Kevin had something to do with it. Enjoy!

“Another whiskey, laddy?”

Around him, the atmosphere of the bar muttered, clinked, and scraped as the afternoon crowd went about its business. At the back, around the bend of the long mahogany bar, Jimmy Cavanaugh stared morosely at the few remaining drops of amber in his whiskey glass.

Looking up at the man behind the bar, he shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

(more…)